BDS - What Are They Really After?

This post may seem like it is political in nature, but bear with me. I will connect the dots biblically, I promise.

Perhaps you are already familiar with the BDS Movement against Israel.  Or perhaps you have no idea what I am talking about. If not, it is time to unpack this movement so you can understand what is going on today.

BDS stands for Boycott, Divest, and Sanction.  It is merely a continuation of 4000 years of hatred that is inspired by satan himself, who knows his time window for mischief is short.  This time, it is wrapped in "justice for Palestine" packaging, but when it is seen for what it is, you can see that there is nothing new under the sun.

The early boycott movement began before Israel was a nation, when the Arab League voted on December 2, 1945, to boycott Zionist goods in the British Mandate of Palestine.  When Israel became a legal nation in 1948, the Arab League broadened the boycott to include all companies throughout the world that do business with Israel, as well as their business partners. 

The objective was to isolate the Jewish state from the international community, as well as to inflict economic harm.

Drats.  It didn't work, as Israel became one of the most successful and prosperous nations in the world, despite being the size of a postage stamp and being surrounded by hostile enemies.  

In 2001, a new approach was begun by those who wished to destroy Israel as a nation.  Trying to legitimize their boycott, they adopted human rights language and falsely accused Israel of "ethnic cleansing" and "apartheid."  

Let's just stop right there and look at several facts.

• Arabs living in Israel with full citizenship:  about 1,500,000.  
• Jews living with full citizenship (or no citizenship) in Jordan (formerly 77% of Palestine): 0. 
• Jews living in Saudi Arabia:  0.  (They are not even allowed in)
• Jews living in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Iraq, Iran, etc:  Maybe a handful.

After Israel became a nation, Jews that were living in these various Middle Eastern countries had to flee due to persecution, many with just the clothes on their backs.  The postage-stamp-sized country of Israel took them in and gave them citizenship.

Who cleansed who?  Who really practices apartheid?   SMH.   (That means Shakes My Head, in case you are like me and didn't know what it meant until I asked my children).

The BDS movement picked up steam in 2005 when a group of Arab Palestinian organizations formed a coalition (ironically, the same year that Israel vacated Gaza, which did NOT lead to peace but to the launching of many rockets into Israel and two wars).

Here are the stated goals and objectives of the BDS movement against Israel:

1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall
2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality
3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN Resolution 194.

Well, number 2 has already happened.  See above... remember the 1,500,000?  Some of them are members of the Knesset and one is even a judge on Israel's Supreme Court.

Numbers 1 and 3 have nothing to do with land or justice and everything to do with wiping out the Nation of Israel.  

Regarding number 1:  God gave Israel this land as an everlasting possession (Genesis 17:7).  It is only right that Israel should "occupy" their God-given land.  The wall was erected as a protective measure, after the second Arab Intifada (uprising) in the early 2000s.  It cut down on the suicide bombers by at least 90 percent.  I travel frequently through Tijuana and see a similar wall to the one I saw in Bethlehem.  Nobody accuses Mexico or the United States as being "apartheid."  Also, that little blurb in number 1 about "All Arab lands"?  They don't just mean "the West Bank and Gaza." When you hear them at the rallies chanting "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" they are referring to the Jordan River and the Mediterranean sea.  They mean all of Israel.

Regarding number 3:  The Arabs would have you believe that Resolution 194 is simply a call for the return to Israel by the Palestinian Arab people who fled when the surrounding Arab leadership initiated the war against Israel.  It's not.  Out of the 15 paragraphs of Resolution 194, only one paragraph dealt with the return of refugees.  One of the stipulations of that paragraph stated that the returning refugees be willing to live in peace with their neighbors.  There are numerous things that are very interesting to note about Number 3:

• Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen all voted against Resolution 194. 
• Israel is not mentioned at all by name in resolution 194.
• There is no call for justice for the many Jewish refugees that were forced to flee Middle Eastern countries after 1948. 
• No Arab country will offer citizenship to the Palestinian Arabs that were displaced by the war.
• 50,000 displaced Palestinian Arabs HAVE returned to Israel and gained citizenship.
• When they mean "refugee right of return" they do not mean the original 500,000-700,000 people who fled during the War of Independence.  They mean the 5 million descendants of them as well.  Goodbye Jewish demographic.

Moving on... Do you know about the BDS-sponsored Israeli Apartheid Week in colleges and universities?  In its own words, "Israeli Apartheid Week  (IAW) is an international series of events that seeks to raise awareness about Israel's apartheid policies towards the Palestinians and to build support for the growing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign."

So there you have it.  This campaign takes place annually in Feb/March at colleges and universities across the US, Canada, Britain, South Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.  They bring in speakers and have all sorts of events and rallies that try to delegitimize the nation of Israel.

One of the saddest things about this insidious BDS malarkey is that CHURCHES have believed this nonsense and jumped on board.  Some of the churches that have voted to boycott Israel are Presbyterian USA, Church of Scotland, the worldwide United Methodist Churches, and most recently, the United Church of Christ.  In addition, many para-church organizations have jumped on board as well.

Do they not understand Genesis 12:3?  Isaiah 40:1?  The heart of our Lord in Matthew 23:39 as He WEPT over Jerusalem and His brethren?

So how does this connect to the Bible?  I alluded to it earlier when I said that satan knows his time is short (Revelation 12:12).  He has been trying to destroy the Jewish people since they became a nation thousands of years ago in Egypt. 

Revelation 12:17 gives us a little insight as to satan's order of attack (which incidentally parallels God's order of things... to the Jew first):  

And the dragon was enraged with the woman (Israel), and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.  (That's us).  

Satan hates it that he just can't seem to win against Israel. 

In Revelation 3, the church at Philadelphia, the sixth of the seven churches, was commended for its faithfulness and was promised protection within the sphere of danger.  Maybe this is a stretch, but could that prophetic church example be connected to the sheep in Matthew 25, who blessed "the least of these my brethren?"  Brethren in Greek is adelphos, and literally means close kinsmen.  Philadelphia means loving the brethren.  Could this be why very few churches are actively blessing Israel and most are turning away from them... because it was prophesied in Revelation? One church in seven loving the brethren??

Psalm 83 gives us further insight into the motives of Israel's enemies.  It really isn't about land, or justice, or "apartheid."  It's about hatred.

You can read the Psalm on your own and see for yourselves the long list of Israel's surrounding enemies, but let me highlight two verses. 

Verse 4:  They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation,

That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”

Verse 12 (in referring to punishment for Israel's enemies)  Who said, “Let us take for ourselves
The pastures of God for a possession.”

Do you wish to stand firmly with Israel?  We need a BDS alternative!

How about this:  Bless, Defend, and Support!

Don't Be Ruthless

One of my very favorite Bible stories is the account of Ruth.  What a beautiful picture of how we Gentiles are to esteem Israel.  If you are part of the community of faith in the Messiah, I hope you will read on and take this to heart.  It matters, big time.

Ruth was a Moabite.  She belonged to a nation that was a bitter enemy of Israel.  But wait… let’s back up.

Naomi was an Israelite.  Or in a metaphorical sense, Naomi is Israel.   She left her homeland behind and encountered much bitterness in her journey.  It doesn’t require a degree in rocket science to make a connection between Naomi's life and the history of Israel's people since 70 AD.  In fact, while in exile, Naomi proclaimed that her name was to be Mara – meaning bitterness.

While away from her homeland, her life became entwined with two Gentile Moabite women.  Ruth and Orpah each married one of Naomi’s sons.  These women’s lives were changed because of Israel.  These women are a picture of the church.

While in exile, Naomi’s husband died, and Naomi’s sons died – the source of her bitterness.  However, in her bitterness, she was drawn back to her homeland.  Her daughters-in-law ventured out with her.  She urged them to return to their own people.  Strongly urged them.

So strongly that Orpah agreed and back she went to her people and her pagan ways. 

Ruth, however, vehemently declared that she would never leave Naomi.  In one of the most beautiful passages of scripture, often read at weddings, she declared that where Naomi went, she would go.  Naomi’s people would become her people.  She would die for and with Naomi.  She attached herself so firmly to Naomi – Israel – that there was no talking her out of it.

We know the rest of the story.  As Ruth lived out her faithfulness to her mother-in-law, God showed His faithfulness to Ruth.  She married Boaz – a kinsman redeemer and a picture of our Messiah.  They produced a child, Obed, who was placed on the knees of Naomi to redeem her from her former bitterness.  With great joy, Ruth and Naomi raised this child together – this child who would one day become the grandfather of King David, who of course is the forerunner of the Messiah Himself.

What about Orpah?  Scripture reveals nothing further about her after she turns away from Naomi.  But it is interesting to note that the Babylonian Talmud records her as being an ancestor of Goliath!

Whoa.  Think that one through.  David and Goliath.  We know who won that battle.

Ruth means friend.  Her friendship to Israel was obvious, and the Lord richly blessed her for it.

The meaning of Orpah is more obscure.  It can mean neck, or back of the neck, or stiff-necked. 

After David felled Goliath with the stone, how did he finish him off?  With a swift blow to the neck.

Christian friends, you want to get this one right.  The Bible has much to say about standing with Israel.  The separation of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25 is written entirely within an end-times context.  When Yeshua spoke of “the least of these my brethren,” the word for brethren literally means His close kinsmen. 

You cannot love the Jewish Messiah and ignore His brethren.  The Bible leaves no room for neutrality.  It requires action – you cannot remain passive.

Comfort, yes, comfort My people, says your God.  Isaiah 40:1.

In Genesis 12:3, God said to Abraham (and later to Isaac and to Jacob, aka Israel), I will bless those who bless you, and he who curses you I will curse.

The Hebrew uses one word for bless but two words for curse.  The literal meaning of the “curse” words is “I will curse him who does not esteem you.”  In other words - he who ignores, or treats as unimportant, or turns his back on - the nation of Israel. 

Ruth or Orpah.  Whom will you emulate?